Email this article to a friend

Army awards $10B contract to speed up communications technology deployment

The Army awarded 20 companies a spot on a $10 billion contract to provide a simplified approach to developing, producing, testing and implementing communications technologies.

The Global Tactical Advanced Communications Systems (GTACS) contract is a five-year, indefinite delivery,indefinite quantity type of contract with a small business set-aside requirement for all task orders worth $4.5 million or less. Army contract users otherwise would have to justify awards to large businesses at or under that threshold. The Army made awards to 14 large and six small businesses under the program.

GTACS replaces the World Wide Satellite Systems (WWSS) contract and will be run by the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T).

"This is a one-stop shop for a very broad range of hardware and services," said Lt. Col. Greg Coile, the Army's product manager for Satellite Communications, in a statement. "The contract's range, flexibility and consolidation capabilities will enable the Army, Department of Defense and other agencies to spend more efficiently and get needed capability into the hands of Soldiers at a faster pace."

The GTACS contract covers three functional areas: Research and development, production and deployment, and sustainment and logistics.

The Army said this is one of the largest multiple-award contracts it plans to award in the next few years.